Crucial Influence

September 12, 1987

THE article headlined ''Making moms out of working women'' made me see red. To state, as does Dr. Sirgay Sanger, a New York City child psychiatrist, that ''children of working mothers can be made stronger, more flexible, more socially skilled than children of at-home mothers'' should bring to mind the question, ''Made stronger by whom?'' Obviously Sanger means by the care-giver. Has Sanger considered the fact that most working women -- except the highly educated and independently wealthy -- cannot earn much more than they would need to pay for adequate child care. Day-care centers pay minimum wage, have high staff turnover and are not where children will find an adequate substitute mother.

The thinking of the day appears to be that, having given birth to your child, you can leave his development to others. Mothers are being assured that it doesn't matter who cares for their children. A mother has a crucial influence in determining the form her child's nature takes: the development of his emotional growth. Physical and intellectual growth will develop as they should as long as emotional growth is not interfered with.

Sanger says his program will provide a child with security, self- confidence, a sense of competence and capacity to cope with stress and frustration. I say that a child at home with his mother builds the strongest possible security base, from which optimum emotional adjustment comes.